Safety means for material-transfer devices



March 3, 1931. s. D. WRIGHT 1,795,103

' SAFETY MEANS FOR MATERIAL TRANSFER DEVICES Filed Feb. 6, 192a nuenlfoz Patented Mar. 3, 1931 PATENT oFFIc SAJNI S QN D. WEIGHT, 013 CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO SAFETY MEANSIOR MATERIAL-TRANSFER DEVICES Application filed February 6, 1928. Serial No. 252,408.

My invention relates to material conveying means generally and more particularly to co-operating transfer devices for such conveying means and still more particularly to safety means between such transferdevices.

' One object of my invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive, eflicient, and effective means to prevent discharge of material from a material transfer element when no receiv- 0 ing element is in a position to receive the material. Another object is to provide a simple, inexpensive, efficient and effective means to permit transfer of material only when a dischargeable-and. a receiving element are in coeoperative'"proximity to each other. Another object is to provide a means. automatically operated by movement of transfer elements, to permit the discharge preventing and transfer permitting of material mentioned. Another object is to provide a simple, inexpensive and effective emergency means, manually operable, to permit the di charge preventin and transfer permitting means to be operated when a discharge element and a receiving element are either in or out of'co-operative proximity to each other. Other objec'tswill appear, or become apparent orohvious, 01'- will suggest themselves, upon an inspection of the accompanying drawing and in the description of the device shown in this drawing. y In material conveying'means it is necessary, quite frequently, that material is trans: ferred from one container or carrying orconveying deviceor element to another container or device or element during the conveyance orlpassage of thematrial from one place to 7 another. This transferring is usually performed by mechanical means or mechanism of some kind whichopens and closes a dischargemeans such 'asdu'mping or opening and closing a gate or door. When this mech anismis operated while the discharge means and the material receiving element are in co-operative'proximity or relation'to each other, the material will be transferred properly from one element to another but when this mechanism is operated while the elements are out of co-operative proximity or relation to'each other, the material will not be discharged into the receiving element and is either lost or must be gathered again with consequent expense. My invention aims to eliminate the possibility of unseasonable transfer of material and to promote transfer of material only when a dischargeable element and a receiving element are in co-operative proximity or relation to each other..

Quite frequently an operator forgets to close the discharge means while the elements are in CO-OPGITEltiVG positions and moves the elements out of cooperative proximity with the discharge means still open. Since this discharge means is normally prevented from being operated except when two elements are in co-operative proximity, the elements would i have to be moved back into co-operative proximity in order to close the discharge means. My invention includes an emergency ieans to permit this discharge means to be operated to take care of the human possibility of forgetting to close the discharge means at theproper time.

I am aware that myinvention can be carried out in different manners. However, in order to illustrate the same, Without intention of limiting the same, I have selected one embodiment thereof and have shown the same in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a diagrammatical view showing a m skip car and a charging car with a hinged door and operating means for the door and a safety means between the cars,-embodying my invention; the main valve being in section to showinterior parts more clearly.

Fig. 2 is a plan View taken at 2 in Fig. 1 and shows the electric switch asjbeing open and approaching the inclined member of the safety means which is shown in full lines as being moved into switch closing position and in dotted lines as being in normal inoperative position.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the views.

In this embodiment of my invention I illustrate an electrically operated transfer car movable horizontally to and from astation and a skip car movable on anincline to and from the same station and a pneumatically operated and electrically controlled means be- 2 tween the two cars to normally prevent discharge-from the transfer car and to permit The pipe 26 connects one, ofthe openings in this discharge only when the cars are in cooperative proximity or relation to each other the station and to stop or arrest this discharge operation by means of the movement.

of the skip car when the same leaves the station.

Referring now particularly to the apparatus shown in the drawing:

The scaifold'A has the track or rail 10, in-. clined in the-present instance, and the abut-" ment 11 atthe lower end of the track to form a definite abutment or station for the skip. car B for purposes appearing presently. The 1 upper end of the scaffold and the upper end of the track and the dumping and operating means for the skip car arenot shown in the drawingsincethey bear no definite relation to the safety means and structure at the bottomoit' the track. 5

container-element B,- a wheeled skip car running jonand positionally locatable on y and guided on the track inthe present in- V stance, has the hopper 12 and the bumper 13 to make. contact with the abutment 11 and 1 thereby provide a definite rest station for the car B at the bottomof the track and is moved on the track by means of the cable l-iwhich Y can be operated by anysuitable means not 7 shown nthe drawing.

The co tainer element C, a wheeled larry car with onehopper and'guided on and running on and positionally locatable on the horizontaltrack 15 in the present instance, has the hinged .door 16, the connector bar 17 having one. end'thereof hinged onto the door and the other end'thereof hinged onto the crank 18 on the shaft '19 which is rotated. by the pinion 20 in rn'eshwith'the reciprocable rack 21-;whichis operated by the piston 22 oper- 'atinp g in the cylinder 23.

7 I observed thatthe center of the pin which connects the bar 1? to the crank is beow line drawn through the center of the. shaft '19 and thecenterof the pin. which connects the bar-17 .to the door. This structure forms a lock. means for the'gate incorporated inthe gate. operating means to normally hold .ithe gatefirmly in-closed position and lockiiieans can be released and the gatecan the .beopened'andclosed and again held in closlug-position upon operation ofthe gate operating means. I

The four way operating air valve 24:, operated by. the handle -25, is mounted on the car C in fconvenientlocation for an operator.

. other endof the bore in the cylinder. The

exhaust pipe 28 extends from another one of the openings in the valve. The pipe 29..connects another one of the openings in the valve 24 with an opening in the control valve 1) to be described later. The pipe connects another opening in the valve .1) with the air pressure tank E which may be supplied with pressure air-from any convenient or suitable source not shown in the drawing. I The electric switch F, of a commercial or special type in thepresent instance, has contact elements therein and connected to the leads and 41 respectively and also has a rotatable member carrying a connecting member to connect. and to disconnect the concomprises a casing'dividedintofthree compartments by means of two partitions. (The pipe 29 is in communication with the lower compartment and the pipe 30is in communication with the middle compartment. The valve 34 is seated on the lower one of the par titions and is normally held upon this seat by the spring 35 telescoping over the magnetizable stem 36 of the valve 34: and thereby normally closes communication between the low-er one and the middle one of the compartments, The stem 36 extends'through the upper one'oi the partitions whichpartition also forms an abutmentfor one end: of the spring 35. The stem extends not quite to the top wall of the casing when the valve'is its seat. The solenoid 37is telescoped over the outer end of the stem and has, the lead 38 thereof connected to the electric feed line 39and the lead 10 'thereo fconnectedto one of the contact elements in theswitchF.v The line 41 connects the'other contact element in the switch to the feed line 42. The feed lines 39 and42 may be energized by any suitable electric means not showninthe drawing and the car C can be electrically operated by the same source of power in the present instance. When the solenoid isenergiz'ed, the stem 36 is magnetized and 'is thereby drawn toward and against the top wall or thecasing to complete the magnetic l circuit 7 andthereby closes the air gap and raises the valve 34 05 of the seat thereofand retains the same in that position as long as the solenoid'isin circuit.

- wheels of the car G,or-toward the rail 15,

An individual external control element, cated in a definite relation to the path of both by means of the spring 45 as-shown. In Fig. 1 of the drawing, the lever Grand the switch F are shown in full lines as being moved into switch closing position and in dotted lines as being in switch opening position. I

Theupper end of the lever G carries the transversely extending flange 46 having the ends thereof inclined oppositely to each other as seen in Fig. 2. The rod 47 has one end. thereof hinged to the arm 31, is guided in the bracket 48 on the car C, and hasthe handle 49 shown in full lines when the switch F is closed and in dotted lines when the switch is-open. The compression spring 50 is interposed between the bracket 48 and the collar 51 on the rod 47. i

The lead 52' connects the lead to the lead 41 and has the normally open switch 53- inserted therein so that an electric circuit can be established for the solenoid-37 when the switch 53 is closed to permit the operation of the door-16 through thevalve 24 in emergencies or when the switch is out of commission.

When the car B comes down the incline and just before its reaches the station by contact'ofthe bumper 13 on the abutment 11, the dog 54. on the car B contacts the roller 55 on the lower end of the lever G and moves this lower. end toward thetrack 15 against in Fig. 1,the arrival of thecar B at the station and the. consequent movement of the lever G as describedcausesthe middle portion of the flange 46 to engage the roller 56 on the arm 32 and to rotate the same to the positionshown in full lines in'Fig. 1 and 7 thereby rotate the rotatable member. of the switch F and thereby close the same and complete the electric circuit which includes the solenoidand thereby energizes the same and magnetizes the stem 36 which will then be attracted to the upper wall of the casing of the element Dand thereby opens the valve 34 and-permits pressure air from the tank E r to flow into thepipe 29 and into the operating valve 24 which controls themovement of the door through the cylinder 23 and the connectmanipulated.

When the car ing .mechanism as theoperating valve is B isinovedupwardly onthe inclined rails andjaway from the station thereof, the dog 54, moves with the car and eventually disengages the roller 55 whereupon the spring returns the lever G to its original position (shown in dotted lines in 1) and the spring returns the arm 32 of the switch F. to its original switch opening position (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1) and thereby de-energizes the solenoid and permits the spring 35 to close the valve 34 and prevents air from the tank E to reach the valve 24 so that the door operating mecha:

n sm can not be operated even if the valve 24 is manipulated. I

In case of an emergency, when it is desired to operate the door when the car B is out of co-operative proximity to the car C or when the car C is away from the station, the switch F can be closed by pushing the rod 4'7 downwardly to a position shown in fulllines in Fig. 1; or, when the switch F is out of order or for other reasons it is desired not to use the switch F, the switch 53 can be closed. In either case, thesolenoid is thereby energized' and the valve 34 opened to permit the door to be either opened or closed through the control valve 24.

When the car B arrives at and leaves the station whilethelcar G is not there, the lever G is operated in the manner described above. Normally when neither one of the cars is at the station, the spring 45 retains the flange 46 toward the rail 15 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When thecar B arrives at the station,.the dog 54 moves the flange 46 into the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2. Now when the car C, with the switch F thereon, moves on the. rail15 in a path indicated by the line 57 p and approaches the station from either side, the roller 56 contacts the corresponding inclined end of the flange 46 and, as the car C advances toward the station, rotates the arm 32 from the dotted lineposition to the full line position shown in Fig. 1 and thereby closes the switch .F' as the car C arrives at the station when the car B is already there. p r

in WVhenthecar B isnot at the station when the'car Carrives there, the spring 45 holds the flange 46 in the dotted line positionshown in Figs. 1 and 2 and the roller 56 clears the flange 46 and the switch F will not be closed by movement of the carC so that the door thereof can not be operated except in emergency cases as described above and can normally beoperated only after the car moves the lever G as described above.

My nvention provides a means to normally prevent an operable member onone transfer element from being operatedexcept in emergency cases and also provides a means operated automatically by movement of transfer elements to permit operation of the operable member when twotransfer elements are co-operative proximity to-each other; VA pluralityof cars, or equivalents thereof,-

or otherdevi'cesflan be associated and correand described and changes can be made inthe combination and in the arrangementand' in thestructure'of the elements shown and de scribed ;'th'erefore, without limitinginyself to the preciseapplication of my invention as shown and described nor to the precise combination nor structure nor" arrangement of "elements as shown and described,

1. In" combination, an element movable to andfrom a stat1on and having a pneumatically operable gate, v operating mechanism for said gate, a sourceof pressure air for said'gateyanother element movable to and from-said station, and a control mechanism for said gate operatingmechanism including valve 'means normally shutting off-said pressureair'v from said operating mechanism to prevent the operation of said" gate and contact means operatedby movement of said other elementand adapted to Contact a mem-' ber of saidvalve means to open said valve means to turn onfsaid pressure air for oper+ atlon of said operating mechanism to operate 7 said gate when 'said other element arrives at said station and torelea'se'said member of said valve'means'to close;said valve means when said other element leaves said station;

2, In combination, an element connected with a source ofelectricity and movable to and-from" a station, a pneumatically operable movable gate carried by said element,

operating mechanism forsaid gate, a; source I of pressure air for said gate operatingmech anism, another element movable to and :froni said station, a valve between said -source of airand said 'operating'mechanism, a spring to normally closing saidivalve to. prevent "said i air from 3 operating said gate operating mechanism, a: solenoid to open said valve upon energization thereot to permit said air to operate saidzgate operating mechanlsm, and contact means between elements adapted to vmake; electrical connection to v energize said'solenoid when said other ele- ,mentarrives at sa1dstat1on andthereby open said} valve to permit said pressure air to operatesaid gate operating mechanismonly when said other element is at 'said'stati'on and to: been; said j conn'ec'tion to us-ener ize said solenoid a d tliefrfebypermit said springto close 'saidvalve' thereby prevent said air 77 from oper'ating f's'aid "gate" operating mechameans.

em ts said oth r element leaves said 7 source of air and sa'id control valve, a spring normally closing said main valve to prevent said air from flowing mtosaid control valve and thereby prevent said air from operating .sald 'movable member even when said'control valve is operated, a solenoid to open said mamjvalve, an 'GlGCtIlOSWltCli 1n the 'electrlc circuit, of said solenold and normally open 7 to permit said spring to keep said main valve closed,another element movable to and from said station, and-contact means between said elements adapted to close said switch and therebyeiiergize said solenoid and open said main valve to permit said air to operate said operating mechanism when said other ele ment arrives at said station and to open said switch again when said otherelement'leaves said stationi P 4C. In "combination, an elementfhavin'g a discharge gate, power operating; liieans to open and to close saidgate, another element movable toward and away from the'first said element, and control means for said operating meansincluding member 'onthe first said'eleme'nt having movable means adapted to'normally shutoff power for. saidoperating means, a member on said movable element adapted't-omove said movable'fmeans to turn on powerfor operation ofsaid gate when said movable element" is moved into a discharge receiving relation with said gate,

and a' manually operable'member to control the'admission'of powerlto said operating 5fQIr'1fcombination, acharging car having a discharge gate, power operating means to open and to close said gate, a, skip car movable toward and away from said charging car, and control.means:for said operating means including a manually operable meme her to controli'admission ofp'ower to said operating means, a member on said charging car having means to normally shut ofiipower to'said control member,- and a member on said skip ca'r adapted. to turn on, power to said control member forqoperation of said gate when said skip ic'ar ismoved into discharge' receiving relation withsaid gate. a

6. In combination, ya "chargii'rg car connected with a source of, electricity and moved to a; station, a pneumatically operable gateon saidi'car, a source ofpr'ess'ure air for said gate, a cont'rol valve forsaidgatefamain valve between said control -mea'ns and said source 7 of air, a spring normally closing said main valve, as'olenoid energized bytmeans' of said source of electricity to open said main valve,

a normally open electric switch in the electric circuit of said solenoid, a skip car movable to and from said station and having a mem{ her to close said switch when said skip car arrives at said station and thereby energize said solenoid and open said main valve to permit said air to operate said gate when said control valve is operated and to release said switch for opening thereof when said skip car leaves said station and thereby deenergize said solenoid and close said main valve to prevent said air from operating said gate.

7 In a material conveying means, a movable receiving element, a dischargeable element, a selectively operable discharge means on sald dischargeable element and having a lock means normally keeping the same closed and a power means to operate the same, and a control means operated by movement of said receiving element to put said power means into condition to operate said discharge element when said receivingelement is in receiving position in relation to said dischargeable element and to out out said power means to arrest the operation of said discharge means when said receiving element is out of receiving relation with said dischargeable element;

8. In combination, a material container having a discharge ate thereon, a discharge control means inclu ing an operating mechanism for said gate, a power source for said operating mechanism, a control means for said operating mechanism including an automatic power shut ofi' means, a mechanism to open said shut off means including a movable contact member, a receiving container movable into a position to receive material from said material container and having a member adapted to move said contact member to open said shut ofi' means when the receiving container is in natural receiving position, and a selectively operable device to control admission of power to said operating mechanism for selective operation of said gate. 1

9. In a safety means for material transfer devices, a movable material transfer element, a material transfer element movable angular to the movement of the first said transfer element, an operable gate means between said transfer elements and having a control means including a selectively operable gate operation control device normally ineifective for gate control, a movable contact element moved by a contact member on one of said transfer elements and a movable contact member carried on the other one of said transfer elements and moved by contact with said contact element to render said gate operation control device effective for control of the operation of said gate means.

10. In a safety means for material transfer devices, a material transfer element movable horizontally, a materially transfer element movable vertically, an operable gate means between said transfer elements and having a control means including a selectively operable gate operation control device normally ineffective for gate control, a movable contact element moved by a contact member on said vertically movable transfer element and a movable contact member carried on said horizontally movable transfer element and moved by contact with said contact element to render said gate operation device effective for control of the operation of said gate means.

11. In a safety means for material transfer devices, two material transfer elements each movable angular to the other, a power operable gate means between said elements, a selectively operable gate operation control device normally cut off from the power source, and members controlled by action of both of said elements to turn on the power for selectively operating said gate means.

In testimony of the foregoing I afiix my 

